So it's been twenty years since I left art collage this year, if you had of asked me then what I would have been doing in twenty years time, I'm not sure what I would have said, I think my desire like many art students was simply to be doing my own work, living of my own creativity because that's whats so important after all, isn't it? Or is it? Is it just the ego at work?
I am so important , I am so important, look what I can do, look what I can do? You really need to have a big ego for that! But is that what creativity is really for ? What is it's purpose?
Not anything I was encouraged to think about while at collage it was more about bringing out your own creativity, your own individual style. As I have said before my body of work was on Ireland, the funny think is 20 years on it still looks contemporary.
I cant remember what I did in the summer after graduating, I think I came home to Strangford for a while ? reconnected with the land, went sailing, smelt the damp fresh air. Spent time with family, I remember feeling a bit disconnected from reality , all I wanted to do was to do my own work to stay engaged with the wonderful feeling that true, unfettered creativity brings . the loosing of yourself in a kind of meditation of life an absorption of creative thought, a flow of colours and patterns.
I've always found that part easy, you know the ideas part, the making of things the true feeling of creativity of disconnecting from reality and linking into another zone. I call it the zone because it's a kind of state of mind. Something you cant switch on and off at will. You just get a kind of though that you need to pursue to it's illogical conclusion. Notice I say illogical, not logical. When I say I find it easy I mean I see things everywhere,all I need is the time and space to explore it, time and space to explore it.
Anyway after the summer I headed of to London, my sister was there at the time and we shared a flat, signing on. On of my tutors gave me a list of a few design studios to go and visit that she had worked with in the past and I set out with my list, my idea was I would start at the top and work my way down and if nothing happened I would start another list.(something that I have come back to again and again). The first studio on the list loved my work and asked me to come in and work 3 days a week, freelance. I had heard of the concept and that you got lots of money for it but I didn't know how to negotiate, I was a very timid little girl but as I was signing on I was told to go on the Enterprise allowance scheme which meant you still got your dole money plus your housing benefit. Which at least would keep my head above water, which was a good idea considering it took them around 4 months to start paying me . Oh the things you learn. At the studio design house would come and buy samples of different work and them get them produced all over the world. I was happy to sit and knit and design in the corner, moving down to a studio on my own for a while just producing work passing it over. Now I realise I was getting paid crap and they were making lots of money but at the time I was just happy that someone was interested in paying me to do something.
On the side I still produced my own garments , knitwear and then started jewellery I had a number of boutiques that I sold to on a sale or return basis, I was too shy to sell but would go into a shop and ask if they were interested in seeing my work . They would always say yes but on sale or return. Which at least meant that they could take a risk and my work was very risky, contemporary. So I had around 6 shops selling my work and I would go around them every could of week on my one day travel card on the tube and collect any money owning me. Now I realise it was very good training as I got to know what people liked, what customers thought, what kind of things sold where, pricing strategys. Yes I got ripped off, yes people stole things, yes I learnt everything the hard way but at least I learnt.
When I went on the enterprise allowance scheme they sent me on a 5 day business training course, designed thanks to Mrs thatcher to get her dole Q numbers down. Thats why I always say I'm one of thatchers children becasue if the enterprise allowance scheme had not been there I'm not sure what i would have done.ON the business course I thought "WHY DID THEY NOT TEACH ME THIS AT COLLAGE" accounts were particularly hard as it meant you were supposed to think in straight lines which is something I found particularly hard.
So there I wes in London, selling to all these trendy places, Hyper Hyper, Kensington Market. I remember fashion week it was chaos, all the buyers from around the world used to decend on these places and buy out everything. I had work on TV,one place Sign of the times I sold to was a hub of the ID generation , you know the magizine. I think it's still in production. The women who ran the shop went on to run "sign of the times club nights" and make a fortune out ot the London trend scene. She was always "on trend" and swore alot. Red or dead were in Kensington Market at the time, funny how it works out. So there I was in LOndon at the end of the eighties, yuppies everywhere, flash cash all around, Harry Enfield "loads of money" a very popular character, house prices rising, no one could afford a morgage. Pole Tax riots. I was in the middle of the lots. Meanwhile back in NI they are still shooting each other and bickering. I lived in Green lanes the greek street in North London lots of humas and taramasalata. Restrurants where they had 8 course meal and you got to smash the plates afterwards. It was the year that Ireland were in the world cup, the streets were deserted when the matches were played. Lots of builders over from Ireland building Thatchers Britian. Every time Ireland scored the whole of the street erupted with cheers.
During all this going on my old art collage contacted me and said they wanted to put my portfolio in for a Fulbright prize. I had no idea what it was or what it meant but proceed to put together my portfolio with my old and new work combined and leave it in. The award was the "Calvin Klien ,Harvey Nichols, Fulbright in Fashion" 4 months paid work or study trip to US with the option of staying 2 years. Like many of these things you see you think you have no chance in getting it,many people don't even try but me I thought why not.
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